No Baggage is a memoir that will resonate with adventurers and homebodies alike—it’s at once a romance, a travelogue, and a bright modern take on the age-old questions: How do you find the courage to explore beyond your comfort zone? Can you love someone without the need for commitment or any expectations for the future?

When Clara Bensen arranged to meet Jeff Wilson on the steps of the Texas State Capitol, after just a few email exchanges on OKCupid, it felt like something big was going to happen. Clara, a sensitive and reclusive personality, is immediately drawn to Jeff’s freewheeling, push-the-envelope nature. Within a few days of knowing one another, they embark on a twenty-one-day travel adventure from Istanbul to London—with zero luggage, zero reservations, and zero plans. They want to test a simple question: What happens when you welcome the unknown instead of attempting to control it?

Donning a single green dress and a small purse with her toothbrush and credit card, Clara travels through eight countries in three weeks. Along the way, Clara ruminates on the challenges of traveling unencumbered, while realizing when it comes to falling in love, you can never really leave your baggage behind.

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Quotes & Awards

“An absorbing and well-told tale…with gusto, courage, and a palpable sense of joy.”

New York Times Book Review

“Seriously, someone needs to make this into a movie right now. Immediately…While she admits that the draw to the story was largely the OkCupid hook, for Bensen, the reasoning behind their adventure was really to explore their relationship with material possessions.”

Refinery29.com

“Despite being in a relationship for less time than most of us go without getting a haircut, the two embarked—at Jeff’s suggestion—on a trip to Europe where each packed nothing more than what could fit in their pockets (and one small shoulder bag), which begs certain obvious questions regarding sanity, hygiene, the role of modernity in contemporary travel, our reliance on technology, and practical questions about washing one’s clothes with no spare clothes on hand.”

TheExpeditioner.com

“Bensen exhibits a knack for description and history as she recalls touring the Hagia Sophia, the temple of Apollo, and even Bosnia’s ‘shelled-out skeleton houses with collapsed roofs and Swiss-cheese walls.’”

Publishers Weekly

“Bensen chronicles a twenty-one-day journey through Turkey, Greece, Croatia, and England, traveling by plane, train, bus, and car…Readers intrigued as much by modern romance as by world travel will appreciate this thrilling travelogue of an erratic relationship and the landscape of ancient and modern Europe.”

Booklist

“In an intimate tone that is immediately absorbing, Bensen recounts her relationship with her newly found boyfriend Jeff. The couple connected on a dating site, and just one month after they began seeing each other decided to travel to Turkey…Readers will be hooked by their free-spirited trip, which serves as a gazetteer to their deepening relationship. Bensen details with finesse the couple’s personalities, issues, quirks, and expectations of each other.”

Library Journal

“It’s an adorable story. It’s like a digital fairy tale.”

Julie Spira, online dating coach

“An excellent way to cure wanderlust…Fun, warm, and a little bit dangerous, this true-life rom com is a must read for those that love getting their passport stamped.”

Alida Nugent, author of Don’t Worry, It Gets Worse

“Bensen’s story of an unexpected—and unexpectedly meaningful and at times magical—romance that developed from a chance online encounter is charming. Yet it is also insightful for the author’s observations about the conflicting desires for freedom and commitment that are the hallmarks of modern romance. An engaging memoir of travel, love, and finding oneself.”

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